A three percent employee pay raise highlights Overton County’s new budget, a key to retaining employees in the Sheriff’s and Fire Departments and EMS.
That’s according to County Executive Steven Barlow. Barlow said employees were not paid enough in years past, causing some to leave for better paying jobs elsewhere. Barlow said this was especially challenging in terms of first responders, since the county struggled to keep those positions filled.
“It’s hard to pay an officer $11 an hour when they can go down the street and make $19, $20 an hour,” Barlow said. “You’re just not going to get anybody to work for you like that, and that’s what we were running into.”
Barlow said under staffing emergency personnel is a risk to the community because in doing so, less first responders available to cover each shift. Barlow said safer, less demanding jobs are plentiful, which has contributed to the first responder shortage.
Add to that, Barlow said there are fewer people wanting to enter the emergency services field throughout the nation.
Barlow said Upper Cumberland counties have worked together on salary studies to ensure good employees stay in the region.
“This was all around that we were having to pay,” Barlow said. “And no one wants to raise taxes. Nobody wants to do that. But at some point, you’re going to have to bring in enough to pay.”
Barlow said he has heard people are willing to pay more to keep emergency services in case they are needed. Barlow said first responders work extremely hard, sometimes over double and triple shifts, to ensure the county is safe.
“My heart goes out to them because they were willing to do whatever it took to get their department running, and that says a lot,” Barlow said. “A lot about what they feel about their community.”
Barlow said competitive wages are needed to show that the county cares about the employees.
This year’s reappraisal cut Overton County’s property tax rate by 90 cents. Last year, property taxes were sharply increased to cover rising costs, including employee pay.
